LIVINGSTON, Ala. –  Two promising starts ended in disappointment for UWF Softball (9-7, 0-3) as the Argos dropped both games of their Saturday doubleheader against No. 13 West Alabama. 
 
The Argos grabbed a 4-0 lead in game one and a 3-0 lead in game two, but the Tigers climbed back out of both as they capitalized on UWF pitching and several fielding miscues. 
 
UWF did plenty of damage at the plate in the two losses, continuing their trend of relying on extra base hits and long balls to drive production. West Florida averaged .344 and .385 as a team in batting average, two of the highest team averages they've had this season. The Argos hit six doubles and six home runs combined in the doubleheader. Their 25 home runs on the season are already more than all of 2023. 
 
Multiple players highlighted this effort including Chelsea Dumas and Jessie Baughan. Dumas opened up the second inning of game one with UWF's first grand slam of the year, and Baughan hit a home run in each game. Baughan now overtakes Emma Brice as the team home run leader with six and leads UWF with a .875 slugging percentage. Gianna Guerriero, Hannah Harper, and Madelyn Vasquez rounded out the home runs for UWF today. 
 
 Vasquez extended her hitting streak to eleven games with a solid showing against the Tigers. In total, the graduate senior had three runs, two doubles, a home run and two RBI in the doubleheader.
 
It was another tough day for UWF pitching and fielding against UWA. Montana Young gained the loss in game 1 and Harper in game 2. UWF also committed three more fielding errors after having several yesterday and allowed multiple runs on wild pitches. 
 
Game 1: UWF 11, UWA 14
 
Chelsea Dumas crushed her second home run of the season to open the scoring for the Argos, and it came in the form of a grand slam. The Tigers responded immediately with a 2-RBI home run of their own. Maddie Vasquez continued the home run derby with a bomb to left center to put UWF up 5-2. UWA followed in kind, hitting the fourth straight home run for either team. The 3-RBI blast tied the game up at five a piece. 
 
UWF took a 6-5 lead after Erin moon was walked with bases loaded, Bringing in Dumas. UWF stranded multiple runners to end the inning, which would prove to be crucial runs needed later for the Argos. 
 
In the fourth, UWA took the lead for the first time on a 2-RBI double to left field and a 2-RBI home run to center. UWF once again threw another blow at the Tigers in this back-and-forth battle, scoring five runs in the fifth and sixth combined. Baughan and Guerriero hit back-to-back homers and a Hannah Harper RBI single with a combined throwing error scored two more for UWF. 
 
With the lead 11-9, UWF could not clamp down on the equally explosive bats of UWA as the Tigers drove in a 3-RBI home run and an RBI single in the sixth. An additional error by UWF added a free run, and West Alabama took a 14-11 lead. UWF bats fell flat in the final frame, sealing the game one loss. 
 
Game 2: UWF 7, UWA 15 / 6 inn.
 
UWF opened game two by hitting three straight RBI doubles courtesy of Erin Moon, Madelyn Vasquez, and Hannah Harper. Their 3-0 lead wouldn't last pass the first inning as UWA small ball brought in two runners and a throwing error scored another. 
 
The Argos couldn't get anything going in the second and allowed two more UWA runs on an RBI single and a wild pitch. 
 
Jessie Baughan sailed her second home run of the day to center field for a 3-RBI home run that gave UWF the 6-5 lead in the third. Back-to-back home runs nullified the Argos' lead, and another error advanced an unearned score. A silent top of the fourth led to an RBI double that gave the Tigers a 9-6 lead. 
 
Hannah Harper inched West Florida closer to a comeback after her sixth inning solo home run, but West Alabama once again responded with two more home runs of their own to blow the game open, and a bases loaded walk triggered the run rule for the West Alabama 7-15 win. 
 
UWF heads home to Pensacola to get ready for a midweek home doubleheader against nonconference foe Spring Hill. Game one of the doubleheader starts at 2:00 p.m. CT. The Argos will then host their first home GSC series against Alabama-Huntsville next weekend. 
 
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